Balanced vehicle wheel



Filed Oct. 12, 1925 hww INVEN'IOR. 1 0m 5197/5 .1 TTORNEYJ lit till

Patented an. 19, 1932 .uuireo stares PATENT onion 4 JOSEPH E. BATIE OF DE'I'BQIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR '10 KELSEY-HAYZFS WHEEL COR- I POBA TION, F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK BALANCED VEHICLE WHEEL a licants ans @ctober 1e, iota t'lerial No. came.

The invention relates to vehicle wheels and has for its object the provision of abalanced vehicle wheel. Anotherobject is to provide means upon the wheel body for compensating for the unbalanced condition of the pneumatic tire carried by the wheel; A further object is to provide an eflicient method of balancing the wheel, which includes as one or its steps the relative adjustment of a pair of counterbalancing weights of a predetermined size to secure the balanced condition oi the wheel, thereby avoiding the necessity of using difierent counterbalancing weights toovercome the difierent unbalanced conditions met in diiierent'vehicle wheels. With these as well as other objects in View the invention resides in the novel features as more fully hereinafter set forth In the drawings i v Figure 1 is a rear side elevation partly in section of a vehicle wheel embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse section therethrough. i f

c Pneumatically treaded wheels as generally made heretofore have been unbalanced owing principally to the fact that the pneu- 4 matic tires have been unbalanced owing to the valve stem and the means for clamping the valve stem, such as the bridge plate, to the tube of the tire My vehicle wheel is balanced by providing for the unbalanced condition of the pneumatic tire. Furthermore I use standard counterbalancing weights, thereby avoiding the necessity of determininc the particular size of weight re quired to place each wheel in balance M shown in the present instance, the body of the vehicle wheel embodying my inven tion is formed of the brake drum'l mounted upon and secured to the hub 2, the permanent rim or telly 3 and the s acer t preferably termed of an annular ish which connects the permanent rim or telly to the brake drum, the point of connection of the spacer to the permanent rim or "telly being positionediiorward of the rear side of the permanent rim or telly to provide an un0bstructed inner surface 5 upon the base of the permanent rim or telly in rear oi the spacer. 6 i

is the demountanle rim carrying the pneu matic tire 7, which has the valve stem 8 and suitable means for clamping the valve stem, including the bridge plate 9 to the tire tube. This valve stem extends radlally through the demountable rim as Well as the base of the permanent rim or felly when the tire is mounted upon the wheel.

it or compensating for the unbalanced conditionof the pneumatic tire, which is primarily produced by the valve stem and its clamping means, the Wheel has secured thereto the pair of predetermined counterbalancing weights 10 of the same size and located to exert an opposing force to that exerted by the valve stem and its clamping means to balonce the wheel when the pneumatic tire is mounted thereon. The combined weight ct these counterbalancing weights is at least equal to and preferably greater than the combined weight of the valve stem and its clampin means when the two Weights are diametr cally opposite the valve stem and its clamping means. These weights are preferably secured to the unobstructed inner surface 5 of the permanent rim or telly 3 in the rear of the spacer by suitable means such as spot welding, whereby these weights are concealed and furthermore during the rotation of the wheel are subjected to centrifugal force tending to hold the weights against the permanent run or telly. I

The wheel is preferably balanced to compensate for the unbalanced condition of the pneumatic tire before the latter is mounted upon the wheel. This is done by rotatably mountine the hub of the Wheel upon a suitable journal and securing the weight '11 of predetermined size in the nature of a lug in the hole of the permanent rim or elly through which the valve stem passes, this weight being equivalent to the combined weight of the valve stem and its, clamping means The wheel is then allowed to come to rest and the pair oil counterbalancing wei lots 10 are temporarily secured upon the tune structed inner surface ofthe permanent rim or telly substantially equi-distant from and on opposite sides of its uppermost oint. These counterbalancing weights are ad uSted toward or away from'each other, remaining substantially e iii-distant from the u ermost point, unti the wheel is balanced. en the positions of these weights are carefully indicated on the permanent rim or felly and they or corres ending weights are permanently secured y spot welding. The wei ht 11 is then removed and the vehicle whee is in an unbalanced condition opposed to that of the tire to compensate for t e latter when applied to the vehicle wheel, whereby the pneumatically treaded vehicle wheel is properly balanced.

While I have illustrated my invention as applied to a vehicle wheel havin a pneumatic tire mounted thereon, I wis understood that the invention in its broader scope is applicable to vehicle wheels without reference to the pneumatic tires, since balanced pneumatic tires may be manufactured.

What I claim as my invention is:

The method of balancing a vehicle wheel to compensate for the unbalanced condition of a pneumatic tire-when placed upon the wheel, which includes securing a weight to the wheel on the same side as and equivalent to the weight by which the tire is unbalanced, temporarily securing a pair of counterbalancing weights of a predetermined size to the side of the wheel opposite that in which the center of mass of the wheel is located, relatively adj usting the pair of counterbalancing weights to shift the center of mass of the wheel to its axis of rotation, and permanently securing the counterbalancing weights in their adjusted ositions.

In testimony w ereof I afiix my signature.

JOSEPH E. BATIE.

it to be 

